Earlier this month, television host Bill Maher had dinner at the White House with President Donald Trump and musician Kid Rock.

Despite being a longtime liberal, Maher said that behavior he witnessed from Trump was better than that of Presidents Obama and Clinton.  

Trump made Maher feel more "comfortable" than Obama or Clinton

According to Breitbart, Maher testified to Trump's approachable nature during an episode of his show "Real Time," saying, "I never felt I had to walk on eggshells around him."

Twelve days ago, I had dinner with President Trump, a dinner that my friend @KidRock set up because we share the belief that there has to be something better than hurling insults from 3000 miles away. pic.twitter.com/KE2t2eyBkI

— Bill Maher (@billmaher) April 12, 2025

"And, honestly, I voted for Clinton and Obama, but I would never feel comfortable talking to them the way I was able to talk with Donald Trump," he continued.

"That’s just how it went down, make of it what you will. Me, I feel it’s emblematic of why the Democrats are so unpopular these days," Maher remarked.

Trump was "much more self-aware" than Maher expected

The veteran television comedian went on to tell viewers that Trump comes off as being "much more self-aware than he lets on in public."

"Look, I get it, it doesn’t matter who he is at a private dinner with a comedian, it matters who he is on the world stage," Maher acknowledged.

"I’m just taking it as a positive that this person exists, because everything I’ve ever not liked about him was, I swear to God, absent, at least on this night with this guy," Maher went on to add.

Maher posted a video clip of his comments to social media along with a caption which explained that "there has to be something better than hurling insults from 3000 miles away."

Some fans disappointed by Maher's words

However, the Washington Post pointed out that some of Maher's fans were less than pleased with his positive assessment of the president.

One of them is Oakland lawyer Courtney Masella-O’Brien, who told the post, "Trump’s a human being. We know that. But he doesn’t demonstrate that he’s a very good one most of the time."

Masella-O’Brien further complained of what she regards as a lack of "empathy" on Maher's part for those who have been negatively impacted by Trump's policies.

Meanwhile, San Diego hairstylist Sharon Bagley was more nuanced in her response, stating, "I don’t like Trump. But I can’t hate Bill Maher because he had dinner with him."